Topic: CIBIE HDR headlight. What LED bulb?

[Jayelwin]

Hey so my 1975 750 doesn't have a Stanley sealed bulb anymore. It seems the PO put on a CIBIE lens that takes a regular bulb. Is anyone familiar with this?



And the bulb.



And here is how it goes in the lens.



Is there a drop in very bright LED? I guess someone already upgraded from the sealed beam stock. But the current setup still isn't as bright as I'd like.

Thanks.


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[CycleRanger]

What bulb is in there now?  H4 35/35 is typical.
You can get higher wattage bulbs but you can run into issues with charging and damaged wiring due to higher current.
You can install a headlight relay to avoid wiring damage.
I haven't looked into LED headlight bulbs but I'm sure others here have.

[Jayelwin]

It's a 60/55 H4 currently. I feel LED would be brighter and also less current drain making the bike work better.


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[spotty]

beware cheaparse chinese ebay LED bulbs, the are bright to be sure but have no directional beam to speak of. the best way I can describe it is someone will see the headlight from the moon but you won't see past your front guard. the problem is LED light is very diffused and therefore needs a lot of help to become a focused beam (built in reflector inside the headlight itself/faceted reflector/magnifying lens), with old plain style reflectors like yours you'll find the world in front of you just doesn't get lit up at night
I know there are better more focused LED headlight bulbs out there now, maybe someone on here can speak in their favour, I've just had no success and I've gone back to a normal halogen 65/95W and I run it on high beam all the time (daytime too) with no wiring/charging problems so far

[Jayelwin]

My CIBIE lens is also kinda old with lots of burnishing inside. But it seems to fit perfectly in the Honda chrome ring.

Anyone know a better drop in lens and reflector that might be better than the CIBIE?


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[CycleRanger]

It's a 60/55 H4 currently. I feel LED would be brighter and also less current drain making the bike work better.

I have a Hella H4 conversion with a 45/45 in my 750 but I don't do a lot night riding.

[Bankerdanny]

Replace the whole assembly with an LED unit. The halogen reflector isn't intended for the light pattern an H4 style LED bulb would put out.

[Jayelwin]

Replace the whole assembly with an LED unit. The halogen reflector isn't intended for the light pattern an H4 style LED bulb would put out.

I think this is the way to go. My buddy on a new Triumph has a very different clear lens with a patterned reflector and LED. Way better.

Do they make an LED assembly that fits with the stock bucket and trim ring?


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[Jayelwin]

Would be so easy just to pop this in...

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/bike-master-led-headlight-conversion-kit


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[Bankerdanny]

Sure. I put one on my 550 last month. I had to trim away part of the ring, but overall installation was easy

https://m.ebay.com/itm/7-quot-Crystal-Headlight-LED-Projector-Fit-Honda-Shadow-VT-VT1100-VT750-VT600-VF750-/172710220212?txnId=1727884797007

[TwoTired]

You know, Danny,  The ebay site says it won't fit a 76 CB550F.

 

[FuZZie]

7 in vs 6+3/8 in?

I have the candlepower 45/45 low wattage, high and low are the same power but you can see how filament placement and aiming make a difference. No type of led bulb I've ever seen would have that correct placement.

Still I'd like one to.

[FuZZie]

It seems were up to a firm maybe...
they should fit (h4)  and no cooler on the back to stop someone from trying. But i've no idea how well it's going to reflect in the lens?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/80W-H4-Motorcycle-Bike-800LM-CREE-LED-HeadLight-H-L-Head-Beam-Lamp-bulb-White-/251656069983?hash=item3a97dee35f:g:F-EAAOSwPe1UIsMG&vxp=mtr

edit:
They are from china but I could see the led placements on this one possibility working.

[minimo]

A LED bulb is probably vastly superior than the sealed lens/bulbs, even in spite of issues with old lens diffusion... Bankerdanny, that is great price. I wonder how those hold up against a JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 - 7" Round LED Headlight - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GMRM3KA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gYIUzbSQE1TXB


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[Jayelwin]

It seems were up to a firm maybe...
they should fit (h4)  and no cooler on the back to stop someone from trying. But i've no idea how well it's going to reflect in the lens?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/80W-H4-Motorcycle-Bike-800LM-CREE-LED-HeadLight-H-L-Head-Beam-Lamp-bulb-White-/251656069983?hash=item3a97dee35f:g:F-EAAOSwPe1UIsMG&vxp=mtr

edit:
They are from china but I could see the led placements on this one possibility working.

For $7 I might just throw one in. But I see how the smooth reflector and glass diffuser on the CIBIE won't be effective on non filament bulbs. I think you really need the lens.


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[Jayelwin]

Sure. I put one on my 550 last month. I had to trim away part of the ring, but overall installation was easy

https://m.ebay.com/itm/7-quot-Crystal-Headlight-LED-Projector-Fit-Honda-Shadow-VT-VT1100-VT750-VT600-VF750-/172710220212?txnId=1727884797007

Can you show me what you had to do to get this in the stock chrome ring and bucket?


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[Bankerdanny]

Sure, but my bike is over at the shop I belong to and they are closed today and tomorrow, so it will be Saturday at the earliest.

It's very straight forward though, the what needs to be trimmed off of the inner ring that holds the assembly is obvious. I used a cut off wheel since it is faster, but tin snips would probably work.

The assembly itself isn't any deeper than the halogen lens setup I had in their previously, but the overall volume is more (the back section of the assembly that corresponds to the brown part of yours in that 3rd photo is deeper and doesn't taper down as steeply). Because the assembly (it's all one piece, no removable bulb) takes up more space I also needed to enlarge the hole in the back of the headlight shell to make room for all the wiring that is normally inside.

For my bike I also switched to a 550K shell because the 550F is smaller and I was having a real problem trying to fit all the wiring inside. But even with the larger shell I still needed to make the hole in the back larger.

[ilikepinkcrayons]

I did some searching for reviews myself on this very subject and couldn't find much "new" info that makes me believe in LEDs in an H4 housing. I also don't really like the look of the projector/JW Speaker style LED assemblies, so I went with Trucklite 27270C from...well geez, i don't remember where, but it was like $140 shipped. Do some searching and you'll find the lowest price, as most were in the $170 range.

It's DOT approved, and the light output does the trick but it doesn't exactly turn night into day (at least the low beam). The pattern could use some work, but it has a cut-off that makes it highly visible by other drivers without blinding them. I too don't do much night riding, but due to the visibility by surrounding cars, it's great at dusk, dawn, and daylight hours.

If you find an LED bulb that has a good cutoff, pattern, and power, then please let us know! I'd love to just buy a bunch of different ones, but that starts to get expensive.